I am a cook. I cook. I cook eggs.

Please refresh the page to get the latest updates.

Word Order (SVC, SV/O/O, Compound Sentences)

Intermediate

This lesson will give you a bird's eye view of basic English sentences. The last section introduces how to combine these basic sentences.

Exercise 1

Sentence Practice

I speak.
I speak English.
I can’t speak English.
Do you speak English?
Why do you speak English?
I speak English, because I have studied it.
I speak to her in English.

Grammar Focus

Simple Sentences

1. Subject - Linking Verb - Complement (SVC)

The 'C' here refers to a subject complement: the part of the sentence that provides details about the subject. The complement can be a noun, adjective, or prepositional phrase:

[noun]: I am a lawyer.
[adjective]: You are beautiful.
[prep. phrase]: My parents are in the US.

2. Subject - Verb (SV)

The sun rises.
He is playing.
They woke up.

3. Subject - Verb - Object (SVO)

I bought a present.
He is playing basketball.

Simple Sentences - Negation / Questions

4. Subject - Verb [negated] - Object/Complement

Helping verbs include 'be', 'do', 'will', 'can', etc. They help the main verb by adding to its meaning.

To negate a sentence, negate its verb.

In English, we do this by putting 'not' between the helping verb and the main verb. If there is no helping verb, add the helping verb 'do/does/did' and negate that: helping verb + negation + main verb.

I am a lawyer. → I am not a lawyer. (SV[neg]C)
He is playing basketball. → He is not playing basketball. (SV[neg]O)
I bought a present. → I did not buy a present. (SV[neg]O)

5. Interrogative Sentences (Questions)

Linking Verb - Subject - Complement (VSC): Are you tired?

Helping verb (do/does) – S – V – O: Do you play tennis?

Question Word – Helping verb (do/does) – S – V –O: When do you play tennis?

6. Subject - Verb - Object (Indirect) - Object (Direct) (SVOO)

I gave her a present.

This word order is used with certain words, such as 'tell', 'give', etc. which have both a direct object and an indirect object.

'Present' is the direct object whereas 'her' is the indirect object. We are not doing anything directly to 'her', but she receives the direct object 'the present'. This difference is easier to see when we rearrange the sentence into SVO form: